Ok, so I know that I’m not going to win any fans for this, and that we’re all fed up of expansion and talk about promotion and relegation!
However, I just read something that blew my mind, and had to share it.
I love football but I’m not afraid to see what’s happening in other sports. It helps to keep an open mind.
I’ve previously posted an article about the approach to promotion and relegation in the English rugby league competition, and this news comes from that same competition. So here it is.
A team from Toronto (yes the one in Canada) has been admitted for the 2017 season in to the third tier of the English rugby league pyramid (Keystone Press League 1).
As we all know rugby league is a mighty international game played in two Australian states, parts of New Zealand, parts of northern England and the south of France.
The Keystone Press League 1 is a development league for traditional clubs that have fallen on hard times, and clubs outside the northern heartland.
In 2017 it will be a 16-team league with: seven teams from northern England, five teams from southern England, two teams from Wales, one team from France and now one team from Canada.
The traditional clubs have larger stadiums (or share them with football clubs) up to around 10,000 capacity but the newer clubs are around the 2-4,000 capacity and some even down at 500.
As the crow flies it’s 1200km from the northern-most English club to the French club. That will jump to 6200km from Toronto to Toulouse. The Toronto team will play blocks of four to five home-and-away games, and pay the travel costs of the visiting teams.
Why is this relevant? Why should we be bothered? Well rugby league in England is a distant third in the football code hierarchy. Even in its heartland it is up against Liverpool, Everton, Man U, Man City and Leeds, plus a myriad of other clubs.
It relies on pay TV and gets scant coverage on national free-to-air (it does get some local stuff). Yet, it is developing an international league structure with promotion and relegation.
Why would the clubs and owners invest in something that gets low crowds and low returns? Because they have direct access (via promotion) to the Super League, based purely on their on-field performances.
In a few years the Super League could have English, Welsh, French and Canadian teams, not because they have been selected – but because they have earned it.
So in 2017 we’ll have a pan-Atlantic rugby league competition of 30 teams (12 Super League, 12 Championship, 16 League 1), with promotion and relegation. Still think we can’t have a bigger, multi-division football competition in Australia?
The lessons for the FFA? Open up the opportunities, provide a pathway so that clubs can build, remove gold plating like the minimum spend on players.
I dare to dream!
Justin Mahon
Guest
I knocked out a model for P/R a few weeks back that managed to balance the economics and solve a few issues around league interest, number of teams/games, AFC issues etc... It is an unorthodox model as it uses 1) a P/R zone (bottom/top 4) with (2) national A1 and A2 teams playing within (twice) and across (once) leagues (3) resulting in a different number of teams getting P/R between leagues from within the zone depending on results. It's coherent, efficient and protects investor value through regionalisation which means a Sydney team being demoted can only be replaced by a Sydbey team etc... Given all its advantages, I won't detail it as the free market facists that frequent these discussions would never tolerate P/R that was differentiated to straight up/down models in monopolistic football sporting cultures of tiny European countries.
albatross
Roar Pro
Is it just me but doesn't a football league with the word "Keystone" in it smack, somewhat, of Chaplinesque slapstick?
Peter Cotton
Guest
Reading the responses, I gain the impression that those of us not favouring P/R are negative thinkers. I disagree. I would describe us as realistic thinkers. Out of all of you who are clamouring for P/R to be introduced, whether it be immediately, or in the short to medium term, not one of you have suggested a financial model that will accommodate P/R. If you are unable to do this, find someone who can. In the meantime, stop wasting our time. Over to you Gethin,
Horto Magiko
Roar Rookie
Haha! :)
Horto Magiko
Roar Rookie
"Never will this happen." Said some NSL fan while hitting someone over the head with a cevapi. Never is an awfully long time.
Beny Iniesta
Guest
12+12+16=30? You might want to worry about simple math before you worry about plunking teams all over Australia to support an unsustainable promotion-relegation system! I'd wait 10 years to see if that Canadian team is still there before pronouncing this a great idea. Did you think the FFA expansion to Gold Coast & North Queensland some years ago was a great example of growth? I'm guessing you did.
Les Mara
Roar Rookie
Is Gallop in charge at FFA? More chance of table tennis getting pro/rel instead. Forget expansion too. Never will this happen.
Gethin Perry
Roar Rookie
Totally agree Nordster. For all those that love the EPL, what is it that you love? Much of what makes it great is that anybody can make it. In 24 years of the EPL a total of 47 clubs have competed in it, if Brighton get promoted it will be 48. That's around half the clubs in the professional pyramid. Only 7 clubs have competed every season, which will be down to 6 next year with the relegation of Aston Villa. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Premier_League_clubs For the long term good of the game we need to pull everybody along not just the "elite"
Horto Magiko
Roar Rookie
Brilliant post Gethin. Top to bottom. Simply nailed it!!!!!!!!!!! And great article too I might add. Imagine football here being shown the way by rugby. Now that's something! :) I like rugby more now. And yes talk about there needing a will in order for there tto be a way.. So many excuses here. People are on excuses-autopilot in Australia.
Gethin Perry
Roar Rookie
This was never meant to be an article about pro/rel per se, and it's regrettable that the editors added that to the title. I was amazed at the idea of Toronto playing in the third tier of an English competition and what lessons that has for us so thought that I'd throw it out there. I think that the 2015-16 season has been brilliant, I'm looking forward to the GF and think it will be a fantastic advertisement. But as a neutral I can't help looking beyond Sunday. We seem to fall in to 2 camps, either "we have to be like the rest of the world" or "we're Australia, we're different, it won't work". I don't think that we need to be like the rest of the world but neither are we unique. I don't buy the arguments that: - we have to be in markets of millions - distances are too great - new clubs will cannibalise existing - nobody will come to watch in the Wollongong, Canberra, etc Listening to "A League Next" on "The Daily Football Show" it's clear that there are lots of ambitious clubs out there doing the ground work to have a shot. They're building from the bottom, want to start in NYL and W-League. But without a pathway they are locked out. Our greatest strengths are our numbers and our passion but people will stop knocking when the door stays shut. The old soccer/new football divide is bad enough but to risk alienating more would be a disaster. Neither is it about the next TV deal. Despite its millions the NRL goes from crisis to crisis, it has to financially support 3-4 clubs, doesn't have a clue about stadiums, the salary cap doesn't work, and now it's trying to control what can be spent on the football departments. I wasn't sure that Tim Cahill was right when he said he wanted to know the vision, but I'm coming round to the idea.More than a vision though I want to see the action plan.
Fadida
Guest
Heaven doesn't have pro/rel yet. It's a finals format, which has the angels fighting amongst themselves. They are looking at an expanded format though. Those languishing in hell are also fighting over the topic, like seagulls over a chip, with their hot pants and high kicks :)
Horto Magiko
Roar Rookie
"people will moan about our ref standards" On that note, Good old Strebre is quitting (Woohoo!! The universe has answered my prayers)... Oh well atleast there's still ben Williams to moan about.
nordster
Guest
have i served my sentence here yet?
Kaks
Roar Guru
I laughed, well played
mattq
Roar Rookie
it's no problem, Nordster will take his place?
nordster
Guest
http://www.theroar.com.au/2016/04/29/wanderers-fresh-for-a-league-grand-final/ The Roar football tab has something for everyone! :)
Kaks
Roar Guru
Well if people light flares, I hope they do it off camera like the Roar did last weekend so that there are no articles and/or FFA chest beating about "zero tolerance" in the aftermath. After all, the FFA only cares if there are pictures in the news.
Fadida
Guest
We don't like to do that Kaks, talk about football that is. Most people on here only look for the negatives. Guaranteed that if there is a controversial decision people will moan about our ref standards, if the the game is poor it'll be the league's quality, if the stadium isn't full it'll be lack of popularity, if there's a flare it will be.....on
Horto Magiko
Roar Rookie
Lol SVB. I came up with the same reply on the other thread.. Great minds eh?
Fadida
Guest
Some we've had at least 20 I'd say.